Secret Friendship
by Randomcat100
Summary: Cosette works for the Thenardiers, alone save for her secret friend - Eponine. But what should happen to Eponine and Azelma when Cosette goes away? As Cosette and Eponine's lives begin all over again, they remember the times they had together. A series of one-shots involving both Cosette and Eponine's friendship and Eponine and Azelma's lives after Cosette goes away.
1. 1: Frineds

Secret Friendship

Cosette's long blond hair fell in her eyes as she scrubbed the floors of the inn. Her nails were caked in dirt, dust streaked her face, but she worked on. It was only six o'clock in the morning, but the Thenardiers didn't care. If she didn't do the work, they'd beat her. If she did the work, they'd yell at her. That was how it worked around here, for her. She was all alone, too, except for…

The creaking of the wood made her spin around. She expected to see Thenardier, but instead she saw a girl. A girl her age. Her only friend here, Eponine. Cosette let out a faint sigh of relief as Eponine walked over to her and crouched next to her. She was wearing a long blue nightdress. Something clean. Fresh. New. Something Cosette would never have.

Eponine's hand stretched out, her fingers clutched around something. Tentatively, Cosette reached out and took it. A small chunk of cheese. She suppressed a little gasp.

"This is for me?"

Eponine smiled a little bit and nodded. "Of course it is. Who else would it be for? I always sneak you food, or did you forget?"

Cosette didn't answer. She knew Eponine did slip food from the kitchen when her parents were awake, but the girl's bravery overwhelmed her. It still did, after all these years…

Without further hesitation, she slipped the cheese into her mouth. The indescribable flavor melted on her tongue. She closed her eyes. Aware of Eponine watching her.

At last, Eponine reached out from behind her and brandished a doll. Alice, she was called. Cosette reached for the doll and held it in her arms. Rocking her. Back and forth, back and forth…

"Eponine? Eponine, where are you, little one?" Thenardier's drunken call made both eight-year-olds jump. Eponine's eyes widened and Cosette hurriedly shoved the doll into her hands. She scrambled to her feet. Grabbed the broom, began to sweep.

Eponine stood near her, rocking Alice as she watched her solemnly. Cosette sighed sadly. Yes, Eponine was her friend-her only friend-but she was also her secret friend. If anyone found out about their friendship-Thenardier or his wife, or Azelma, then…she didn't even want to consider it.

" 'Ponine!" Azelma skipped down the stairs. Her own doll, Elise, was cradled in her arms. Her gaze skirted over to Cosette. A sneer, then back to her sister. " 'Ponine, Papa said we could go to the store later today and buy new dresses for Alice and Elise! We can throw these old ones"-she made a face-"away now."

"All right." Eponine's reply was hushed. She studied Alice and nodded. "Go get dressed."

Azelma tucked a lock of her long black hair behind her ear, glowering at Cosette with those piercing brown eyes of hers. "Papa and Maman might get you something too, Cosette. There is some old bread in the dump down the street for you to have."

Cosette didn't say anything.

"But it might be a waste of time to get…" Azelma went on mockingly.

Cosette bit her lip _Don't cry now, Cosette. Not in front of her. _She'd cried many times when the Thenardiers beat her. She'd cry when they made her get water in the woods, late at night. She'd cry when she wasn't allowed to eat all day. But when Azelma mocked her, she never cried. Never. In a way, the girl's taunts were worse. Far worse.

"…and I don't think we should," Azelma was saying.

"Come on, 'Elma. Let's go and play with our dolls. Cosette isn't worth our time." Eponine mumbled. Azelma nodded.

As the two girls walked away, leaving Cosette to sweep the floors, Eponine turned around. _Sorry about her_, she mouthed.

Cosette nodded. Yes, she and Eponine might be friends, but they were secret friends. Friends by night, when nobody knew.

* * *

"Farewell, Courgette! Farewell! We'll miss you. We'll miss you very much!" Thenardier's call sounded behind her. Cosette smirked. The Thenardiers had acted so strangely. Stroking her hair, hugging her. At first it had been a little frightening, but she quickly understood. The innkeepers had wanted to keep her. For a slave.

_You did a bad job of pretending. So fake. So fake. _

Suddenly, dismay flickered inside of her, mingled with relief. Eponine! She'd forgotten to say goodbye to Eponine!

_I couldn't have. Not without getting her in trouble. _

Even so, she turned around. At the window, she saw her. Eponine. Her secret friend's fingers were pressed up against the window pane.

Cosette gave a tiny wave as her savior, the kind man called Valjean, tugged her along. Eponine waved back, a tiny smile playing on the corner of her lips.

_We'll see each other again one day, Cosette. I know we will. _Eponine mouthed.

Cosette nodded back. _I know._

And then she rounded a corner, and her secret friend was gone.


	2. 2: Arrival

Secret Friendship Story 2

Arrival

Eponine leaned her small forehead against the window pane. Cosette was gone. Cosette, her best friend ever.

She could still remember the day Cosette arrived at the inn…

* * *

Eponine's small hand clutched Azelma's as she huddled in a corner with her sister. It was cold, the fire long since gone out, and Maman and Papa had been out for hours. They were to pick someone up, she knew.

"I'm hungry, 'Ponine." Azelma whined.

Eponine held her younger sister close as she mumbled, "Don't worry, 'Elma. Maman and Papa will be home soon." In truth, the five-year-old was very afraid. She _hoped_ Maman and Papa would be here soon. But she wasn't sure.

Then she heard sobbing. Soft, thin. The two sisters looked up. A woman with long dark hair was hugging a small blond girl close to her. Then Maman and Papa walked in, and Azelma leapt to her feet. But Eponine sat on the floor, watched the little girl curiously.

"Maman, please, no! I want to stay with you!" the girl sniffed.

The pretty woman tucked a lock of the little girl's hair behind her ear. "Do not be afraid, _ma petite_. I will visit as often as I can! And look, there are children here to play with you!"

The tiny blonde looked a bit more hopeful.

Eponine watched as the dark-haired woman thanked Maman and Papa profusely and then she was gone, leaving the blonde huddled in a corner, sobbing.

Dinner was soon served, and Maman and Papa seated the blonde next to Eponine.

"Are you here to visit us?" Azelma pouted.

The child didn't answer.

"I'm Eponine, and that's Azelma," Eponine tried. She was delighted. A playmate! At last! Azelma was her sweet little sister, but she was never any fun. Azelma always wanted to stay holed up inside. Never wanted to run in the streets. Maybe this girl would play with her like that. Freely, as boys did.

"I'm called Cosette," the slight blond whispered.

Cosette. Pretty name, thought Eponine.

There was no bedroom for Cosette, so she slept on the floor that night, on a thick pile of rags in the corner of Eponine and Azelma's room.

That night, while Azelma slept, Eponine heard Cosette crying softly. The dark-haired girl slipped out of bed and padded over to Cosette's corner.

"Don't cry, Cosette. We can play together tomorrow."

"Maman sent me here because she has to work," Cosette explained seriously. "And your Maman and Papa said I have to work here, too."

"Yes, but you need only work for a bit! Come on, Cosette, play with me!" Eponine was hardly aware of the whine that slid into her voice.

"I will, after. Maybe you will come with me to my castle?"

"Your castle?" Eponine echoed, surprised.

"The castle I go to in my dreams," Cosette explained. "My castle on a cloud."

* * *

Eponine huddled in the corner of her room. Alice lay at her feet, but she didn't feel like playing. She wanted Cosette.

_Maman and Papa barely gave her a chance to get settled before she had to work! _

Eponine stood, and pressed her ear against the door to her bedroom. She could hear Maman and Papa furiously whispering: "You fool! Look at what we got!"

"Next time, I promise…"

She shuddered. At least Cosette was happy and free now. And they would see eachother one day. One day, perhaps…

**Author's Note: This little one-shot was shorter than I meant for it to be, but the next one will be longer, I promise. **


	3. 3: Alice

Secret Friendship Story 3

Alice

**Disclaimer: The idea of Cosette's castle does not belong to me. It comes from a song in the Les Miserables musical, young Cosette's solo _Castle on a Cloud._**

_There is a castle on a cloud_

_I like to go there in my sleep_

_Aren't any floors for me to sweep_

_Not in my castle on a cloud._

_There is a room that's full of toys_

_There are a hundred boys and girls_

_Nobody shouts or talks too loud_

_Not in my castle on a cloud._

-Les Miserables Musical, _Castle on a Cloud, _Young Cosette

Cosette stared at the doll in admiration and awe. It was the great porcelain one Eponine and Azelma had always wanted. That she had always wanted, though she would have settled for one of the little cloth ones that Eponine and Azelma had.

She hugged the doll close to her. "I'm going to name you Eponine, like my old friend."

Holding that doll to her made all the memories come rushing back…

* * *

"Guess what, Cosette?" taunted Azelma as she sat on the edge of the table.

Cosette glanced up at her and returned to her scrubbing.

"Cos_ette_! I said, guess what?" Azelma repeated.

"What?" asked Cosette miserably.

"Today, 'Ponine and I are going to buy lovely dolls. Perhaps even porcelain ones! Maman is taking us. And you can stay here with Papa! Don't worry, though; you shan't be bored. Papa will give you lots and lots of things to do. Could you start by making my bed?"

Cosette sighed. She wished Azelma would go away forever with her parents. She wished she could grow up in her castle with Eponine. _Then_ they'd be happy. But Azelma and the Thenardiers weren't going anywhere.

She wished _her _Maman would come soon. It had been nearly a year since Maman had left her. Cosette had only seen her once since. The Thenardiers had made her clean the inn like mad, then bathed her until she was as clean and fresh as 'Ponine and 'Zelma. She wore one of Azelma's dresses that day, and it had been one of her few happy ones.

"Come, Azelma!" Madame Thenardier's call pierced the air. "Eponine is all ready. And Cosette?"

Cosette winced.

"Go to the bakery. Thenardier has a twenty-sous piece."

And then she was gone.

* * *

Cosette did everything that the madam asked. She made Azelma's bed (Eponine had already made hers to spare Cosette work) beat the rugs, got the bread, and swept.

She was just eating her small bowl of soup when Azelma skipped in, holding a small, beautiful cloth doll to her chest. It had thick black curls and small, blue button eyes and wore a long red dress.

"Look here, Cosette," chanted Azelma, "it's my doll. I've named her Elise. What have you named your doll? The rag one?"

Cosette didn't answer. She and Eponine had taken rags and tied knots together to make a little doll. It looked more like a long, thin line of twists, but Cosette didn't mind. Much. It was something to hold while she slept.

Then Eponine entered. Her doll was just like Azelma's but with a green dress and red curls. She watched Cosette silently, then mouthed, _We can play with her tonight._

Cosette smiled and nodded slightly, then watched wistfully as Azelma dragged Eponine upstairs to play with their new dolls.

It was that night, when Cosette was curled up in her corner that Eponine came and crouched next to her. The new doll was in her hands.

Azelma sat up in bed sleepily. "Why do you like to play with her all the time, 'Ponine?"

Eponine shot her sister a cross look. Returned her attention to Cosette. "I've named her Alice. You can hold her. I'll hold Loretta."

Cosette handed over her rag and Eponine held it as though she really were a doll. They played tea party, pretending each little strip of cloth on Cosette's bed was a cup.

Azelma watched silently. Cosette hated Azelma, hated the way she taunted her, but she secretly wished that the younger girl would be kind too, like Eponine, and play with them at night.

That was a secret she kept even from Eponine.

And Eponine herself was a secret. Azelma was the only other person in the whole wide world who knew. Cosette could only hope that Azelma kept her knowledge to herself, though she knew she would for fear her sister got in trouble.

They played late into the night, until the two six-year-olds curled up together, eyes closed, cheeks pressed together as they went to visit Cosette's castle on a cloud.

They woke up when Thenardier called out to Cosette. "Sweep the floors now!"

Cosette's eyes snapped open. "Eponine! Eponine, wake up! I have to work!" She dressed as quickly as she could and hurried downstairs. Eponine followed her downstairs and grabbed another broom.

"Your Maman beat you if she catches you," Cosette said softly, as Eponine began to sweep.

Eponine looked up. "Then we mustn't let her catch us."

* * *

Cosette clutched the Eponine doll closer. She missed her secret friend.

_Stay safe and healthy,_ Cosette thought to herself. _We'll see eachother yet. _


	4. 4: Bucket

Secret Friendship Story 4

Bucket

_There is a lady all in white_

_Holds me and sings a lullaby_

_She's nice to see and she's soft to touch_

_She says, "Cosette, I love you very much."_

_I know a place where no one's lost_

_I know a place where no one cries_

_Crying at all is not allowed_

_Not in my castle on a cloud._

-_Castle on a Cloud_, Les Miserables Musical, Young Cosette

Azelma sat on her bed, legs crossed as she watched her sister. Eponine stood at the window quietly, sadly.

"I missed you," Azelma said at last.

Eponine turned her gaze from the window. "What do you mean by that?"

Azelma shook her head. "Since _she_ arrived, you haven't played with me." She cast her older sister a spiteful glance. It was true: since Cosette's arrival, Azelma has suddenly been cast aside, an alternate playmate. Azelma played with Eponine by day, but by night, Eponine spent every possible moment with Cosette.

Eponine smiled ruefully. "Would you like to sleep in my bed tonight?"

At this, all bitter thoughts escaped Azelma's head and she nodded. Eponine smiled at that and climbed in. Azelma slipped in next to her. Leaned her head against her sister's shoulder.

Eponine blew out the candle. "Perhaps I could sing you a lullaby."

Azelma squinted in the darkness of the room. "Do you know any? I don't believe Maman ever sang to us." It was true. Even before Cosette, Maman had never sung.

Eponine nodded. "I know one. But you wouldn't like it."

"Yes, I would! You're singing it. Eponine, you're my sister and I love you. Why wouldn't I like it?"

A deep breath. Azelma paused hopefully, and then Eponine began to sing.

"_There is a castle on a cloud_

_I like to go there in my sleep_

_Aren't any floors for me to sweep_

_Not in my castle on a cloud."_

"Oh," said Azelma softly. It was the song Cosette would sing. Cosette's song. But it was different now.

"_There is a room that's full of toys_

_There are a hundred boys and girls_

_Nobody shouts or talks too loud_

_Not in my castle on a cloud._

_There is a lady all in white_

_Holds me and sings a lullaby_

_She's nice to see and she's soft to touch-_"

Here, Eponine paused. Azelma knew why: it was this line that made the lullaby personal. This line proved it to be Cosette's song.

Then, Eponine went on. "_She says, _'Zelma_, I love you very much._"

Azelma smiled.

"_I know a place where no one's lost_

_I know a place where no one cries_

_Crying at all is not allowed_

_Not in my castle on a cloud._"

Azelma glanced up at her sister. It was such an odd feeling. For the past three years, she'd never done anything like this with Eponine. They played with dolls, yes, but they hadn't crawled into bed together. Hadn't been this…_warm. _

"_Bon nuit_, Azelma," whispered Eponine, closing her eyes.

Azelma pressed her face into her sister's shoulder. "_Bon nuit, _Eponine."

* * *

The girls woke to a harsh cry of "Eponine! Azelma!"

Azelma's dark eyes snapped open. She lay there, confused. Why was Maman waking her so early? The sun wasn't up yet – it was dark outside. She could see out the window. It wasn't Sunday either. She remembered because it had been Sunday tow days ago.

She closed her eyes again.

"Azelma! Eponine!"

Eponine sat up blearily. "Is Maman calling us at this hour?"

Azelma nodded. She was glad she'd spent the night with her sister. Wondered what Cosette thought of _that_.

She looked at the rag bed. Where was Cosette, anyway? Then she remembered: the servant girl was gone.

"Eponine! Azelma! Come down here right now! Better not make me come up there and slap you!" Maman's shout echoed in Azelma's mind.

She crawled out of bed and walked downstairs with her doll, Elise, in hand. Perhaps there was an early breakfast. Eponine followed her. The sisters leaned over the banister, unsure of what they'd see.

Maman stood in the middle of the room. In one hand, she held a large bucket. It was the same bucket Cosette had taken to the woods last night before the strange man had taken her away. In the other was a broom.

"Maman?" asked Azelma.

Maman thrust the bucket at her. "Go fetch some water from the well in the wood. Get dressed!"

Azelma stared at the bucket. Her? Go out in the woods alone? Hadn't that been Cosette's job? Hadn't Cosette fetched water from that well just last night?

Eponine echoed her thoughts aloud. "But Maman, Cosette fetched water last night. Azelma needn't do so."

Maman looked furious. Azelma was confused. What had happened to Maman? "We used that water for one of our guest's horses! Eponine, I'll have you sweep. Azelma! I've told you to go upstairs and get dressed!"

Azelma turned and ran. She stumbled over the hem of her nightgown on the stairs, but she scrambled on. She put on one of her best dresses and walked downstairs.

When she arrived at the landing, Maman had the bucket waiting. Azelma stared at it uncertainly.

"Azelma!"

Azelma glanced at her sister, but she was sweeping. Humming to herself. It wasn't a tune Azelma recognized.

The seven-year-old hefted the bucket down the street. She knew where that well was. She noticed many people looking at her oddly as she walked past.

"Isn't that the Thenardier girl? Where is their servant? The Lark?"

Azelma scowled. She wasn't a servant girl. She was worth more, much more, than Cosette.

The small dark-haired girl walked through the woods. She wondered why Cosette had been afraid of them. _Because she was a coward_, Azelma thought with a smirk. _The woods are so very pretty…by day._

Azelma lowered the bucket into the well. She knew her dress was filthy by now, but she didn't mind. Maman would wash it for her.

When she lifted the bucket, she gasped and nearly dropped it. How heavy it was! Heavier than she'd imagined.

_Cosette was stronger than she looked,_ Azelma thought as she dropped the bucket on the snow-covered ground. She struggled to lift it, but couldn't muster the strength.

Azelma whimpered. It was such a large bucket, almost as big as she was. She dragged it along. Water sloshed and spilled as she dragged it along.

After she'd dragged it for quite a while, a bramble caught of her dress and ripped the skirt. Azelma nearly toppled the bucket. She'd dragged it all this way.

She shook her head and sat down on a tree root, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "I can't do this anymore…" she whispered. "Eponine, come and help me."


	5. 5: Baby

Secret Friendship Story 5

Baby

_Look down, look down, don't look him in the eye_

_Look down, look down, you're here until you die._

- _Look Down (The Convicts)_, Les Miserables Musical, Valjean and the Convicts

Eponine balanced the large pot on her knee as she wiped it. She glanced anxiously at the dark sky. Where was Azelma? Was she quite all right? Poor child, she was only seven years old.

_And you're only eight, 'Ponine._

The door opened. Azelma entered, her dark eyes shimmering with tears. Her face was covered in scratches, streaked in dirt. Her lovely dress was torn to ribbons, beyond use. She dropped the bucket on the ground. Eponine leapt to her feet. The pot clattered to the floor but she didn't care. Maman and Papa didn't have to know. Papa was drunk again, passed out on the table. Maman was upstairs with a strange man.

"Azelma! What happened to you?" Eponine whispered, pulling her younger sister close.

"The woods…" whispered Azelma, "were so frightening…and the bucket so heavy…"

Eponine kissed her cheek. "You're all right now, Azelma. Come here. I'll clean your wounds." She strode purposefully over to the bucket, dipped a small cloth in it, then drew the cloth back out and gently wiped the blood away from her sister's face.

A screaming startled the young girls, the scream of an infant. Eponine sighed. _Gavroche._ "Just a moment, 'Zelma." She smoothened her skirts and dashed up the stairs. The screaming growing louder.

She poked her head into the room. It was an old room, decrepit. Dust accumulated in the corners. Old furniture – broken chairs, rugs covered in mould. Even the crib was old, several of the wooden bars broken. Eponine didn't know why, but there was some reason her parents didn't love her brother. Since he was born, they'd cast him aside. Cosette was treated like a princess in comparison to him.

Now, Eponine approached the crib and scooped Gavroche up. He whimpered, but slowly, his wails quieted until he was cooing, glad to be in arms of his sister.

"Where is Cosette?" he asked. "Where is Cosette?"

Eponine sat down on the filthy floor. Rested him on her knee. He was getting big; her baby brother was already three years old. "Cosette has left with a stranger. She won't be coming back."

Gavroche averted his gaze. "Will she be happy?"

"I do hope so."

"Then I am glad." Gavroche cooed, and Eponine smiled, nodded. Nuzzled her nose with his.

It seemed just yesterday he'd been born, really…just yesterday…

* * *

Eponine hated sitting on the steps having to watch her secret friend work. Cosette was filthy, as she so often was, scrubbing dishes with a damp cloth.

Eponine glanced over her shoulder. She wanted to talk to Cosette. Maman was still leaning against the banister, talking to one of the strange men that so often came about the inn. Maman was smiling, patting her belly. She pulled the man into a room, the bedroom. The door closed and the clicking of the lock echoed.

At once, Eponine stood and approached Cosette. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small biscuit. She waved it in front of her friend.

Cosette eyed it carefully, then slipped it into her mouth and smiled. "Thank you."

Eponine shrugged and pulled herself onto the table. "Maman told me some exciting news yesterday."

"What news?"

"She is going to have another child." Eponine answered happily.

Cosette's blue eyes lit up. "Oh! Is she? That is exciting!" Then the light faded into that frightened, hungry look that so often in them. "I hope the child is like you, and not the least bit like Azelma."

Eponine shook her head. "You needn't worry, Cosette. I won't let the child be like Azelma. They'll treat you right. I'll see it done."

"Your Maman will raise them to hate me." Cosette argued. She averted her gaze, scrubbed harder. "That might be beyond your control, 'Ponine."

Eponine eyed the stairs. "I should think not!"

Cosette dropped the cloth and pulled Eponine into a hug. "You keep promises. I know that, 'Ponine."

"That's right. I keep my promises."

"COSETTE!" Papa's cry sounded.

Cosette's eyes widened, fear lit her gaze as she waved Eponine away. "Go! Go. You mustn't get yourself in trouble."

_Why should I keep my friendship a secret?_ Thought Eponine. _Perhaps I shouldn't lie. Shouldn't hide. Perhaps…_

Fear won over, and she scurried to where her doll lay waiting. Just as Papa stumbled down the stairs in his usual drunken stupor. "Cosette. Go and fetch some water from the well."

Cosette glanced out one of the cracked windows. "But monsieur, it's dark outside."

"Move your ass!" snapped Papa. He poured himself a beer and stumbled back upstairs.

Eponine watched mournfully as Cosette glanced fearfully at the large wooden bucket that was twice her size. Then at the ever darkening sky.

_I cannot take this any longer_, thought Eponine. _I must do something._

Just as Cosette wrapped her thin shawl around her shoulders and took hold of the large bucket, Eponine stepped forwards. "Cosette, wait! I'll come with you!"

Cosette blinked in surprise, then shook her head stubbornly. "No, Eponine. Your Papa will beat you!"

Eponine stuck out her chin, just as stubborn. "It's cold and dark out, and you're afraid. Come, we'll share my nice fur coat and share the weight of that dreadful bucket!" She marched purposefully up to the door and took hold of her warm fur jacket, slipped one arm in. "Here, Cosette, you take the other arm and it'll be warm as the fire when it's lit!"

Cosette sniffled, but nodded in agreement and slipped her arm in the other sleeve. "Oh! It is warm!"

"Yes, it is. Do you see, my friend? You'll be warm and safe. I'm not afraid of the woods! I'll keep you safe." Eponine coaxed, placing one hand on the bucket. Then she let go and grabbed two warm hats. "Here, you take my hat and I'll take Azelma's."

Pressed together and sharing the warmth of the coat, the two girls marched out into the snow. Eponine had been lying; she was terrified of the woods.

"The animals won't harm us. They're more afraid of us. Like the rats. They stay away if you make noise, don't they?" Eponine went on.

"It wasn't the animals I was afraid of." Cosette replied darkly.

"Ghosts?"

Cosette only shuddered in response, and Eponine let go of the bucket with one hand and used it to put her arm around her friend.

Cosette paused. "Is your Maman really going to have a child?"

"Yes, she is. I wonder if it'll be a boy or a girl? Which would you want it to be, Cosette?"

"I don't care, so long as they're good."

"They'll be good, Cosette. I told you, I will see it done."

* * *

Gavroche fell asleep in Eponine's arms, and the eight-year-old sighed sadly. She lowered him gently into his horrid crib and silently left the room.

Azelma was huddled in a corner near the dead fire when Eponine went downstairs. She looked up when she saw her sister coming. "I'm cold, 'Ponine."

Eponine eyed the fireplace. _I wish I knew how to light it. _"Not anymore. You'll be warm with me." She put her arm around Azelma, who snuggled up close. "You see?"

"Is Gavroche all right?" Azelma whispered sleepily.

"He's asleep." Eponine replied.

_And as good a young boy as ever. He'll grow up to be brave and strong. I kept that promise, at least. If only Cosette were here to see it._


	6. 6: Cardinal

Secret Friendship Story 6

Cardinal

_At the end of the day there's another day dawning_

_And the sun in the morning is waiting to rise_

_Like the wave's crash on the sand; like a storm that'll break any second_

_There's a hunger in the land, there's a reckoning still to be reckoned_

_And there's gonna be Hell to pay_

_At the end of the day!_

- Les Miserables Musical, _At the End of the Day_, the Beggars

* * *

Cosette was tired and worn. She and the kind man – her Papa – had been running, through a cathedral, from a strange man who cried a number out as he chased them on a horse. She'd been tired, afraid, confused, but she hadn't said anything. He'd lowered her down a tower with a rope.

And now, they were in Paris and Papa had found them a small apartment. Cosette curled up next to him on the small cot, and he held her close. She held her Eponine doll close to her chest, recalling the days she and Eponine had curled up in that corner with the rags…

* * *

Cosette struggled to hold the large bucket. She had insisted that Eponine rest for a while, that she carry the bucket herself. "If your Maman sees you, 'Ponine, she'll surely beat you!" the six-year-old reasoned.

The two young girls walked through the frightening woods. At every snap of a twig, every whisper from the wind, the girls froze, standing in terrified silence until they dismissed the noise and carried on.

A chirping sounded from above, and Cosette looked up in alarm, reaching for Eponine's hand. As she did, the large bucket slipped from her small hands.

Cosette held on tight to Eponine, her blue eyes traveling from the upturned bucket to the branches, the source of the noise.

And a small smile lit her face.

Perched on the branch of a small, leafless tree, it stood out, red on white snow. A bird. Cosette tried to remember what that kind of bird was called. Maman had told her once, when she'd been quite small. Maman had pointed, said to her gently, "Look there, Cosette. Do you see that bird? It's a…"

_Maman._ _Has it truly been a year since I last saw Maman?_

"Eponine, what is that bird?" Cosette asked softly.

Eponine's brow furrowed as she studied the small, beautiful, bright red creature. "I don't know. Maman and Papa never taught Zelma and I about birds. We only know our ABC's and our numbers."

"That's all I know as well," Cosette sighed.

Slowly, the two small girls sat down in the snow, giggling lightly as they tripped – they were still sharing Eponine's warm fur coat. They sat and watched as the bird whistled a similar tune, a simple seven-note tune. Then it would stop. And then go on, continue.

Cosette smiled again, cocking her head to one side, the spilled water from the bucket forgotten. Now, she was transfixed upon this small, wonderful creature. Eponine, her secret friend, pressed in close.

Hesitantly, tentatively, Cosette raised one hand and held out one finger for the bird to perch on. As if sensing this, the bird suddenly flapped its wings and fluttered gently over to her. It landed right there, on her finger.

Cosette glanced eagerly at Eponine. That little bird had come to her! Lovely thing. Eponine's dark eyes shone with youthful delight, and she smiled earnestly. Cosette turned back to the little bird, her breath taken away.

Tentatively, the little blonde reached out and ran a finger along its spine. It chirped. Quickly, Cosette moved her hand away. As she did, the bird flapped its wings and soared away. She and Eponine watched as the bright red animal became a small red dot on white snow.

And then it was gone altogether.

Slowly, Cosette stood. She remembered the day with Maman, the day with the red bird, if she thought hard. She could feel Maman's caring arms around her, Maman's nose pressed gently against her shoulder.

_"Look there, Cosette. Do you see that bird? It's a…"_

"We must go back to the well to fetch more water," said Eponine matter of factly.

Cosette nodded and, slowly, carefully, the two girls picked themselves up. Eponine grabbed the bucket this time and, together, the secret friends made their way back to the well.

* * *

Cosette woke up sharply, with her head still pressed in against her new Papa. He was stirring, too, and he smiled when he saw her.

"Good morning, little Cosette."

Cosette rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and answered with a shy, quiet, "Good morning…monsieur."

She crawled out of bed and leaned her skinny arms on the windowsill. She looked out the window, and her breath caught as she saw a small red bird perch on the branch of the tree.

"Monsieur!" she exclaimed, and her new Papa came to join her.

"Monsieur," Cosette asked hesitantly. "What is that bird called?"

Her Papa frowned in thought. "That red bird? Why, a cardinal."

"A cardinal?"

"Yes. That is right."

Cosette nodded slowly, unable to tear her eyes away from the little red bird.

Cardinal.

"Look there, Cosette. Do you see that bird? It's a cardinal!"


	7. 7: Cosette

Secret Friendship Story 7

CosetteI dreamed a dream in time gone by

_When hope was high and life worth living_

_I dreamed that love would never die_

_I dreamed that God would be forgiving._

_I Dreamed a Dream_, Les Miserables Musical, Fantine

Azelma woke up leaning against a warm shoulder, with a protective wrapped around her shoulders. Sleepily, the seven year old blinked open her dark eyes, and found that she and Eponine were curled up in a corner. There was no fire in the hearth. Azelma recalled that, once upon a time, Cosette had been here and she'd lit their fires.

Eponine was stirring next to her, and it was now that Azelma saw the angry red mark on her cheek. She shuddered – that mark could only have come from Maman or Papa. Silently, the small girl got to her feet and darted up the stairs.

She didn't know why she was doing it, but she knocked – hesitantly – on the door to their bedroom. "Maman? Papa?" Her voice, usually so confident and proud, was now uncharacteristically small.

There was a groan, and after a few moments, Papa was standing in the doorframe. He stared down at his little daughter with a complimentary scowl. "Azelma?"

"Papa," Azelma breathed. "I…Papa…could I play with my dolls today, as I worked hard all day yesterday?"

How could you be asking this, 'Zelma? 'Could I play with my dolls!' Who do you think you are? Cosette?

Her Papa frowned at her, his eyes glimmering with a recent hangover. "What work have you done for us this morning?" His voice was colder than ever, and Azelma suppressed a shiver of fear.

"I've only just woken, Papa," Azelma answered honestly.

"Then you can go and polish the silverware!" her Papa snapped, and the door slammed shut.

Azelma swallowed a whimper. "No…Papa!"

The door stayed shut.

Perhaps, if I do as he asks, I'll be able to play with Elise later. Perhaps…

After a few moments, the door opened once again. This time it was her Maman.

"Maman, could I…?"

Her Maman scowled down at her small daughter. "Azelma, you get to work right now, this very moment, or I swear I'll give you a beating you'll never forget!"

Azelma stood there, frozen in fear. _A beating?_ She wasn't the one to be beaten, the only one who ever got beating was Cosette.

"You needn't play with those dolls anymore, girl," her Maman went on. "You're seven years of age. I say it's time you and your sister throw those dolls out."

"Maman…" Azelma breathed. "I shan't throw Elise away! I love her!"

"Azelma!" her Maman's voice was sharp. She turned purposefully, marched to the back of the room. In a moment, she was back. There was a leather strap in her hand.

Azelma turned and ran.

Their Papa showed them how to light a fire. Now, Alice and Elise, the twin dolls, lay in the hearth, smoldering to ash. Upstairs, hidden in the pile of rags where Cosette had slept, was Loretta, who had been Cosette's little doll.

Azelma gripped the broom tightly in her small hands. She swept the dust, but she did not know where, exactly, the dust was supposed to go. Almost involuntarily, she found herself singing softly.

"_There is a castle on a cloud_

_I like to go there in my sleep_

_Aren't any floors for me to sweep_

_Not in my castle on a cloud._"

At this, Azelma looked up. Eponine was polishing the little bit of silver the Thenardier family had for Azelma. She smiled.

Azelma went on singing. "_There is a room that's full of toys_

_There are a hundred boys and girls_

_Nobody shouts or talks too_ – "

Azelma let out a cry of alarm as her broom hit the cupboard. Maman's vase rocked dangerously.

Eponine looked up from her polishing and her eyes grew wide.

The vase continued to rock.

Eponine stood.

SMASH!

The noise filled the room, making both children wince. They stood, frozen, eyes fixated on the broken shards of their Maman's vase.

"She'll beat us well and proper if she heard that!" whispered Eponine in horror.

"I'm sure she did hear her vase break," Azelma whispered back.

They were running before they knew it, out the kitchen, the silverware clattering to the ground. In the dining room, people were already starting to trickle in, and they smiled at the two young Thenardier girls.

Eponine went for the door, but Azelma ran up the stairs. She tore into her bedroom and took hold of the rags. She was pawing through them until she saw what she was looking for – Loretta.

Loretta wasn't a doll, not really, she was just a tangled knot of rags. But Elise and Alice were burned, her lovely doll Elise.

So Loretta would have to do.

Maman was opening the door the her bedroom. "Azelma? What was that sound I heard?"

Azelma just ran, ran as fast as she could down the stairs. She was still holding onto Loretta tightly. At the foot of the stairs, she saw Eponine, standing anxiously in the door frame. A look of confusion passed her face, then morphed into comprehension when she saw Loretta.

The sisters ran, holding each other's small hands, down the street. They wore no shoes, and Azelma was sure her feet were turning blue from going through the snow bare like that.

They didn't know where they were going, but they knew they had to get away from home, if only for the moment. A sanctuary. They ran until their lungs begged for mercy, and at last, they stopped, breathing hard, leaning against a wall.

Azelma shivered from the cold, and she felt Eponine's arms wrap around her, warm and protective. They huddled together, leaning against the wall and holding Loretta close.

They sang Cosette's song a few times. "_'Zelma, I love you very much,_" Azelma sang softly.

At the same time, Eponine sang: "_Cosette, I love you very much._"

Azelma shook her head and frowned. "No, no, 'Ponine, you can't sing that line like that!"

Eponine scowled, the image of a stubborn eight year old girl. "Why ever not?"

"Your name isn't Cosette! That's Cosette's line."

"But Cosette was my friend," Eponine retorted loyally. "She was my friend, and I cared for her very much."

"You shan't see her again. She'll go off and live with that kind strange man, and we'll be here with _Maman_ and _Papa_, working as she once did. She'll have nice dolls to play with, and she'll play games, and Cosette will be happy. You and I will work. We don't have dolls to play with anymore. We won't play games. Oh, how the tables have turned."

"I'll see her again, just you see, 'Zelma."

"No, you shan't." Azelma said, just as stubborn as her sister had been.

"I shall. Perhaps in many, many years, but I shall. One day. You'll see, Azelma. I'll see Cosette and so shall you."

**READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE. If you don't, the next chapter won't make much sense. Well, it will, but you'll understand better if you read this.**

**So, my friends, that's it for Chapter Seven. Not only that, this is the final chapter with them as children. Chapter Eight will be the Epilogue. It will be an alternate ending to****_ Les Misérables. _****I'll give you a brief explanation as to what it's all about. **

** In the final chapter of ****_Secret Friendship_****, nine years have gone by since Cosette went away. That's right: it's 1832, barricade time.**

**Alternate ending time: Marius is killed in the barricade. Eponine and Gavroche survive instead, and they seek out Cosette. **


	8. Epilogue: Reunion

Secret Friendship Epilogue

Reunion

_A heart full of love_

_No fear, no regret_

_- A Heart Full of Love,_ Les Miserables Musical, one of Cosette's parts

The knock sounded on the door. Cosette stood to answer, but Papa shook his head and strode over. The door opened.

Murmured conversation played in the background, but Cosette wasn't thinking about who was at the door. She was thinking of Marius, replaying that fateful day in her mind. How many days had passed since she'd met Marius that day at the gate? Two? Three? Could it have been a week? Even a month? It felt like such a long time since she'd seen him.

Papa stepped back then. "Cosette?" he said. "Someone wants to speak to you."

_Marius?_

Cosette stood and walked up to the door. Marius was not there.

There were three of them. Two girls and a boy.

The girls looked to be about Cosette's age of seventeen. They had the same long black hair, now matted, uncombed and greasy. The same wide, deep brown eyes. It was clear they were sisters. One of them looked to be slightly older than the other, by a year or so. She had boy's clothes on. She wasn't wearing any shoes.

The younger girl wore a long green dress. She fixed Cosette with a look of pure hatred that the young woman couldn't quite understand.

And then there was the boy. He was younger, couldn't have been older than twelve. He gripped the older girl's hand so trustingly one would think they were siblings.

But he looked nothing like the girls. His face was streaked in dirt, and there was a spray of dry blood on one cheek. His hair was blond, much like Cosette's, and long – down to his shoulders. His sweet blue eyes looked up at her, timid and careful, but happy. On his shirt was that pin, the pin from the barricade.

_They're revolutionaries,_ Cosette realized. _But they're so young, far too young to have gambled their lives like that, especially this boy._

But she smiled gently, stepping out into the hall and half closing the door behind her. "Yes? Could I help you?"

The older girl, the one dressed as a boy, looked at Cosette, eyes shining with delight. "Cosette," she said. It was a whisper.

"Yes?" Cosette repeated.

"Cosette, don't you recognize me?"

Cosette frowned. The young boy glanced uncertainly from her to the other girls.

The older girl bit her lip, looking down. Then a smile lit her face and she lifted her head again. She opened her mouth, and sang. It was a song Cosette hadn't known for nine years, a song she hadn't needed to sing.

"_There is a castle on a cloud_

_I like to go there in my sleep_

_Aren't any floors for me to sweep_

_Not in my castle on a cloud._"

Cosette smiled. Then she, too, sang along with the girl she knew was Eponine. Eponine! After nine long years…Eponine was here.

"_There is a room that's full of toys_

_There are a hundred boys and girls_

_Nobody shouts or talks too loud_

_Not in my castle on a cloud_."

The boy – who could he be? Not…no, it couldn't be – broke into a grin.

"_There is a lady all in white_

_Holds me and sings a lullaby_

_She's nice to see and she's soft to touch_

_She says, 'Cosette, I love you very much…"_

Grinning widely now, Cosette stepped forward and threw her arms around Eponine's neck. Laughing, Eponine hugged her back.

"I knew you'd come. I knew that, one day, we'd see each other."

"And I knew that I would find you," Eponine answered earnestly. She tucked her grimy black hair behind her ears. "I never doubted it, Cosette, not for one day."

Cosette's blue eyes skirted over to the younger girl. There was a scowl on her face, one Cosette had associated with that face as a child. Even now, that scowl, mingled with a bit of a sneer, and that cold, spiteful glare, seemed to suit her older face all too well.

"Azelma," Cosette said softly, offering her a faint nod.

Azelma's dark eyes narrowed dangerously, and Cosette took a careful step back. Then the younger girl nodded back, if only a little bit. "Cosette."

Cosette turned away from Azelma, now facing Eponine. "I still cannot believe you've come, my friend, even if I knew all along you would one day."

"We made a promise to each other. We keep promises, don't we? Just like I kept the one about…" Eponine pushed the young boy in front of her.

"Gavroche?" Cosette asked hesitantly.

The boy's face lit up. "You remember me!"

Cosette smiled warmly down at him. "But, of course. How old are you now, pray tell?"

"Eleven," Gavroche replied proudly. "And you're 'Ponine's age, seventeen." Then his face fell. "I'm afraid _I_ don't remember _you_ very much. All I remember is that you would hold me and that you would sing me that song, once in a while."

"It's all right if you don't remember me," Cosette said gently. "You were three years old when I left. And I've changed very much since I was eight, just as you have."

Gavroche nodded, reassured.

"Gavroche and Eponine were at the barricade. They almost died." Azelma said with no warning.

Cosette's eyes skirted to the pin on Gavroche's jacket again. The boy took hold of it and held it out to show Cosette, as if to prove it.

"You almost died?" Cosette asked weakly. "Oh, 'Ponine!"

"Azelma and 'Ponine have been living in poverty for quite a while," Gavroche explained. "And since my family came to Paris, I left home and took to the streets. I liked that life much better."

"But we've survived," Eponine put in quickly. "The revolution failed, but we've survived."

Azelma lifted a shoulder helplessly. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the door frame. "I wasn't there."

Cosette sighed sadly and shook her head. "I'm glad you're alive now. I'm glad you've come." She reached out a hand and fingered Eponine's cheek. "This mightn't be a dream, would it?"

Eponine smiled. "Would you like me to pinch you?"

"No!" cried Cosette, pulling her arm back and laughing. "No. This isn't a dream, I'm certain it is not."

If this were a dream, then Azelma would not be here. I've dreamed that Eponine came back before, and Azelma was never there.

Eponine gripped Cosette's hand tightly. "I'm afraid I come with grim news."

"And what are they?"

"Do you know Marius? Yes, of course you do. Well, you see, Cosette, he was at the barricade as well, and…"

Cosette started to shake her head. "No. No, it cannot be. You're lying to me! He isn't…he can't be…" In her mind, she saw Marius, smiling at her through the gate. Smiling at her from across the road. Marius…

Tears formed in her eyes, gently rolling down her cheeks.

"But he _is_ dead," Azelma sighed. "Marius _is_ dead now."

Cosette sank to the floor, her white night gown like a pool around her feet. "Oh, 'Ponine!" Then she looked up. "You knew him as well?"

A look passed through Eponine's eyes, a look Cosette had never seen in them before. Envy? Something she could not decipher. "Yes, I knew him for a few years. I – he was my friend."

"He was my friend, too," Gavroche said softly, taking Cosette's hand.

Cosette smiled weakly at him, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Eponine did keep her promise to me. Gavroche, you turned out to be a wonderful boy."

Gavroche grinned. "Eponine was like a Maman to me after you left. My real mother never loved me."

"But I've something to show you, Cosette" Eponine began. "I've a place for us to go tonight. You and me. And Gavroche. And 'Zelma."

"What place is that?" Cosette asked.

"Come."

Cosette glanced nervously over her shoulder, at the shut door behind her. "Perhaps I should…"

"You needn't tell a soul," Eponine chided, taking her hand now, already starting to pull her down the stairs. "If you told your Papa, would he let you come with us?"

"No…I suppose not…"

"Then we'll leave silently."

Cosette's feet were bare, as they so often were when she was a child, and somehow this felt suitable. Although now things were different. Everything had changed. Marius gone, Eponine back after nine long years…

They stopped in the square, near the Elephant. There was a large strip of grass surrounding it. Laughing, Eponine let go of Cosette and pointed at the sky. "The stars are beautiful here." The dark haired girl dropped onto the grass.

Smiling now, Cosette lay down next to her, taking one of her hands.

Gavroche lay down on Eponine's other side, and took her other hand.

And then Azelma. She frowned down at the others. "I'll not lie down in the grass and watch the stars as a chi – " She yelped as Gavroche pulled her down. Azelma took his hand, but moved her other quite pointedly away from Cosette's with a scowl.

Cosette smiled at the girl she'd been so wary of as a child, the girl she'd wished wasn't there. The girl that added to her misery while living with the Thenardiers. She smiled at Azelma and took her hand.

Azelma paused, her breath catching, then she faced away from Cosette and turned to look at the stars above.

Cosette, too, turned away to watch the stars. She was filled with mixed emotions. An empty, gnawing grief at losing Marius, and an overwhelming, tinkling, relief that her secret friend was back.

**The End**


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